Dr. Christian LüdkeDr. Christian LüdkeAttrib. By Uta Keseling7 September 2007, 18:11Translation by Nigel MooreThe forensic psychologist Dr. Christian Lüdke leads a company in Essen which supports the victims of robberies, kidnappings, accidents or disasters. Hespoke with WELT ONLINE about the possible motives of the McCann couple in the tragic case of the abduction of Madeleine.

WELT ONLINE: You have warned, since early on, that the behaviour of Gerry and Kate McCann indicates their involvement in the crime. What has made you feel that way?

Christian Lüdke: I have, in recent years, cared for many parents who lost their children due to acts of violence. Most of them were under severe shock, feeling helpless, desperate and withdrawn. Many also quarralled. They blamed themselves hugely for not having looked after their child adequately.

WELT ONLINE: It was different with the McCanns?

Lüdke: They live very differently. In public, they are harmonious. Already, after only a few days they went jogging, as if that was a normal thing to do, always appearing together. These parents took matters into their own hands instead of leaving matters in the hands of the police. They distanced themselves from their two other children by going on a European tour, that to me is very strange.

WELT ONLINE: Maybe it was an accident?

Lüdke: No. In such a case, after the first shock, they would have trusted the police. Both parents are doctors, in case of an accident they would have tried to get help. It is even more unrealistic that of all people two doctors would leave 3 children alone in a strange environment, even more at night. I have many doctors as patients. As professionals they know all that can happen to children, and as parents they are overly protective.

WELT ONLINE: What could have been the motive to cause their own daughter's disappearance?

Lüdke: There are parents who have little or no emotional bond with a child. Often such a child is considered a burden that must be dealt with in a brutal or perverted way. The best known is Münchhausen Syndrome by Proxy: The mother tortures the child until it is almost dead and then calls for the police because she herself has a great desire to receive attention.

WELT ONLINE: Do you think it is possible that Madeleine's parents have killed Madeleine and together hidden her?

Lüdke: I believe both parents know what happened.

WELT ONLINE: It means, the McCanns planned the death of their daughter?

Lüdke: Yes, it is possible that they planned this a long time ago, they must at least have played it through in their minds many times and they must have spoken about it together. Otherwise they would now be contradicting each other.

WELT ONLINE: When parents are guilty of killing their child, do they block this fact out of their minds?

Lüdke: Unlikely. Both have clear consciousness, give interviews, travel. It is easier for them to lie than to speak the truth. One can probably exclude a psychosis. Many things point toward a mental disorder. The children of the McCanns were conceived artificially; that can lead to problems in parenthood. Maybe there were self esteem issues that were not openly addressed. Maybe the child had to die due to a problem that had lasted many years.

WELT ONLINE: But the McCanns seem perfect and loving parents.

Lüdke: That public image can be due to a guilt mechanism, like doing a media campaign, to distract attention away from the real problem.

WELT ONLINE: Why do they not go back to Great Britain?

Lüdke: That also speaks against them. When someone loses a child they want to be with their loved ones in a secure environment. By continuing to stay at that resort, where something terrible happened, the worse that can happen to a parent - that is, to lose a child - indicates a survival instinct. As in a mental cinema, these pictures would be constantly running over again. That the McCanns do not return home, where they would have memories of the beautiful times spent with their child, can be seen as an evasive action, in order to avoid having to deal with what they have done.

WELT ONLINE: The world thinks it is impossible that these parents can be guilty.

Lüdke: The media have possibly been taken in by the McCanns. They very quickly attended only after them, instead of around the child. The parents were accompanied like the Beckhams. In his Internet diary, the father writes almost daily about that and other irrelevant/banal things, the shirt he was wearing, what the weather is like. No father in despair could do this. Statistically 70 percent of all the violence against children is caused by the parents, family members or friends. That has unfortunately, to a large extent, not been looked into. The Portuguese police were attacked unfairly when they tried to refer in that direction.

WELT ONLINE: They have already expressed suspicions about the parents, when hardly anyone wanted to know about it. Have you been criticized for it?

Interesting - not sure I'd agree there was a definitive plan to do away with Madeleine - but it does seem that her almost certain demise does not seem to have had the effect it would have on caring Parents. A rather sinister form of serendipity?

The End Is Nigh wrote:Interesting - not sure I'd agree there was a definitive plan to do away with Madeleine - but it does seem that her almost certain demise does not seem to have had the effect it would have on caring Parents. A rather sinister form of serendipity?

exactly its articles like this that show we are not haters erc that we are logical free thinkers and if the mcanns Psychologist thought they may have done it why didnt they tell anyone????

The End Is Nigh wrote:Interesting - not sure I'd agree there was a definitive plan to do away with Madeleine - but it does seem that her almost certain demise does not seem to have had the effect it would have on caring Parents. A rather sinister form of serendipity?

There is such a thing as 'letting it happen on purpose' or 'letting it happen by accident' - i.e. not doing anything to prevent anything happening that you might have set up yourself, but could intervene at any moment. Does that make sense?

The End Is Nigh wrote:Yes, I understand what you're saying - and agree. I wish I'd said it!

Thanks. Back to your cricket! Did you hear about the inspector for schools who said the PE he'd watched wasn't active enough? A lot of boys were just standing about he said in his report. They were fielding. It is truly

Not sure I agree that if one's child went missing in a foreign country you'd want to return home. I think I'd want to stay near to where my child may be found. Returning home without her would seem like accepting defeat.

She didn't want to return home because she wanted to stay near the body....thats my opinion and also returning home is returning to reality...she knew as soon as she set foot in that house reality would hit her.

I might not want to return home but I also wouldn't let the twins out of my sight. I definitely wouldn't put them back in the creche the day after it happened. At that point they didn't know if any of the MW staff were responsible. I would hold those 2 little ones close to me just in case.

Wintabells wrote:Not sure I agree that if one's child went missing in a foreign country you'd want to return home. I think I'd want to stay near to where my child may be found. Returning home without her would seem like accepting defeat.

I agree.

I also don't believe that they would have been planning it for a long time. Even if they do know what happened I don't think it would have been because they had planned it, it would be because of a horrible accident imo.

I also don't believe that they would have been planning it for a long time. Even if they do know what happened I don't think it would have been because they had planned it, it would be because of a horrible accident imo.

Most "accidents" are preventable - and most are caused by the inadequacies or inattention of people. Human factors. The issue in accidents is to determine whether those human factors were within "normal bounds" or whether there were aggravating features eg Negligence.

I also don't believe that they would have been planning it for a long time. Even if they do know what happened I don't think it would have been because they had planned it, it would be because of a horrible accident imo.

Most "accidents" are preventable - and most are caused by the inadequacies or inattention of people. Human factors. The issue in accidents is to determine whether those human factors were within "normal bounds" or whether there were aggravating features eg Negligence.

I am very aware that many accidents are preventable. My point is I doubt very much that the Mccanns would have been planning it for some time as the original post stated, I believe it would have been an accident, preventable or not. Which in this case yes it would have been. Do you think its likely that the Mccanns would have been planning their own daughters demise?